


Abandon Duty

by Woofemus



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: During Timeskip (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-20
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2021-02-16 01:01:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21499261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Woofemus/pseuds/Woofemus
Summary: "Are you asking me to betray my homeland?"Dorothea finds an injured Ingrid during the war.
Relationships: Dorothea Arnault/Ingrid Brandl Galatea
Comments: 13
Kudos: 169





	Abandon Duty

**Author's Note:**

> this ended up being like the complete opposite of what I wanted to write whoops

Dorothea's hands were bloody not with human blood this time but with the blood of prey. She managed to find a rabbit and, just as Petra had taught her, hunt it down with a makeshift trap and knife. Using her magic would have been easier, but she feared charring the skin and meat. And while she disliked the part that came after, when the other alternative was to starve (or go _fishing_ ), she decided this was the better route.

Inside the abandoned house she was using, she cooked the meat and various other vegetables she had managed to find around the village. Whatever guilt she might have felt for taking the food was pushed away by the growling of her stomach that any sort of punishment seemed inconsequential in comparison. It was a silly thing, though, no one had come back in the days Dorothea had been here.

The meal was simple, only a stew that was easy for even someone like Dorothea, who never fancied herself a chef, to make. Food was food, it was nice when it tasted delicious but she needed it to survive and that was it. She didn't eat much either; this meal would last her for another day if she was careful about her portions.

When her meal was simmering, Dorothea crept into the only other room of the house. It was a bedroom, connected to the meal room by a short hallway. As she walked down the hall, she passed broken toys and pieces of wood from the destroyed floorboards. She tried hard not to think about if this was done before or after the family living here had left.

The inside of the bedroom wasn't much different, all the drawers inside already ransacked and pulled apart for anything valuable hiding inside. There was a suspicious stain in a corner of the room, but Dorothea refused to let it bother her. She had already seen all sorts of things when she had been living on the streets, and now when she was in the middle of war.

On the bed laid Ingrid, deep in slumber for three days already.

The town had been barren by the time Dorothea, wide-eyed and desperate, first arrived. The posters plastered on the signboard in the middle and on various homes meant its people had already been drafted to join the war. Which territory had gotten them first though, Dorothea couldn't say at all, with most of the posters torn apart either by human hands or the winds. They were closest to Faerghus and the winds were strong especially at this time of the year, but the Alliance was also on the other side of the mountains, and where Dorothea had come from, Garreg Mach, and the Empire, were right behind as well.

It was obvious that bandits and looters had passed here as well, given how rundown and torn everything was. All the houses were similar; people had gone through looking for goods and torn everything apart in their search then moved on.

Dorothea was no stranger to ghost villages. She had seen far too many of them as she traveled. It was the way she could feel the shivers that ran down her back when she _knew_ there was no other living soul in proximity. There wasn't anyone alive here, and she didn't think there could be any child left alive.

Going near the border, especially between Garreg Mach, the Alliance, and the Kingdom, would be a risk, but that was often where there were the most… vulnerable. The villages on the borders of all the territories were always the ones that suffered the most. Either she still found some children, or she found none at all, and she still couldn't decide what was worse as she thought about their fates.

Still, she found her feet carrying her on. There could be _someone_ here, and she never wanted to leave anyone behind. With heart heavy, she explored the empty village, desperately hoping to find someone.

It should have been the first giveaway, now that Dorothea realized, when all she found was a lone pegasus at the edge of the village.

On one of its sides, blood splattered across its pristine white fur. When Dorothea tried to approach, it neighed loudly and ran but did not fly away. One of its wings was bent strangely, Dorothea realized.

She approached the pegasus slowly, cooing to it and wishing she had some treat to coax it toward her. Slowly, but surely, it allowed her to approach, and Dorothea, very carefully, held out her hand, letting the magic flow from her fingertips. Holy magic would never be her forte like the other healers but she learned enough to serve her needs. The pegasus remained entirely still, as if it was used to it. A war pegasus, then?

After Dorothea took away her hand, it made a soft whinny and trotted away. The pegasus turned back to look at her when it realized Dorothea wasn't following it, as if it was trying to bade her to come after it. Was it trying to show her to its rider? With all that blood splattered on its side, though, Dorothea didn't keep her hopes high.

She followed after the pegasus, and the smell hit her first, the putrid odor of a battlefield. Then, she saw it, bodies scattered all around, all unmoving from what Dorothea could tell. She had been on enough battlefields to recognize the dead. As Dorothea's horrified eyes roamed all over, she recognized none of the armors or banners. Bandits, then. It had to be.

The pegasus moved further into the bloody field. Dorothea followed after it, each step more foreboding than the last. Finally, it stopped, snorting as it pawed at the ground. Dorothea looked down—

There Ingrid was, laying in a puddle of blood, her chest barely moving.

Dorothea had been lucky she found the town first before Ingrid. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have known where to go in her panic. She brought Ingrid into the nearest house she could find.

It had taken more than half a day, and then some as well, for Dorothea to work her magic and bandage Ingrid up. There had been so much blood that Dorothea could hardly believe that Ingrid had still been alive. If she hadn't come when she did, then…

Dorothea didn't want to think about that.

She waited. Ingrid stirred sometimes, but her eyes always remained close. Her breathing became much stronger than when Dorothea had first found her body, battered from what looked like falling off her pegasus, and far too many wounds to be normal.

Dorothea waited, and she watched.

How long had it been since she last saw Ingrid? Years—how long had it been since the war started? Three years, she soon realized. Three years, and there was no end in sight.

Ingrid had grown in those three years. Dorothea had tended to her a few times in the infirmary after a battle where Ingrid had been chivalrous (Ingrid had _always_ felt far too eager to throw herself around to shield the others, Dorothea thought sometimes) and her body then had been slowly developing from all the training but still soft. Now, when Dorothea bandaged her, it was all hard muscle with a multitude of scars, as if her own body was being forged by steel.

Her hair was also shorter now. A shame, Dorothea thought, because her hair had been so pretty and straight unlike Dorothea's. "It would be an obstruction in a fight," Dorothea could almost hear Ingrid saying. And her face! Her cheeks weren't quite so round anymore, and there were even slight scars that Dorothea had never seen before. She wanted to trace over them, to learn their stories and hear what had happened since the last time they had seen each other, but she caught herself.

Even if it had been years ago, Dorothea could still hear the echoes of their conversation, of Ingrid's anger and how she had stepped away. Healing and bandaging someone were different, Dorothea told herself. Even so, it was always at the back of her mind, and it made her hands waver slightly.

Through it all, Ingrid continued to remain asleep.

But eventually a day came where she stirred. 

A strange sound startled Dorothea, and she soon realized it was the sound of a groan. Whirling to the bed, Dorothea watched as Ingrid slowly opened her eyes.

"Where… where…"

Dorothea remained frozen where she stood at the sound of Ingrid's voice, feeble and small. It was only when Ingrid tried to push herself upright that Dorothea came back to her senses and remembered what was happening.

She eased Ingrid back onto the bed, her words slipping out of her. "Ingrid, dear, you're hurt right now, please try not to move."

Ingrid made another sound, like a pained moan, and her eyes closed. Within moments, she was still again, but now it was Dorothea's heart hammering away in the silence.

* * *

In two days, Ingrid finally woke again. She blinked, and just as before, struggled to push herself up. And just as before, Dorothea was there, trying to ease her back down onto the bed.

"Dorothea? Is that really you?" Ingrid's voice was hoarse. "It… it wasn't a dream I had?"

"Yes, and I would appreciate it if you would stop trying to get yourself out of bed! You were always so restless when you were cooped up."

"I…" Ingrid looked as if she wanted to speak but she shook her head instead.

"I'll get you some food."

It was a good thing Dorothea had just finished preparing food, and that she herself ate only enough. She found a tray in one of the cupboards, placed the stew she had attempted, and carried it to the bedroom, setting it down on the table.

"I'll be back with some water," Dorothea said, walking away without waiting for a response. She managed to find a pitcher in one of the cupboards and went outside to the well to gather water.

When Dorothea came back, a full pitcher of water in hand, the food was left untouched, and Ingrid was sitting upright. A sheen of sweat made Ingrid's face gleam, and her brow was pulled together as if she was in pain.

She refused to look at Dorothea.

"... you haven't eaten." Dorothea set down the cup of water she had brought in on the table next to the tray. Perhaps Ingrid was too weak to feed herself. What was Dorothea thinking, leaving Ingrid all alone?

"I'm sorry, I know I'm not a very good cook," she continued, "and while there's a river nearby and I know that you enjoy fish, I'm personally not very fond of it, but luckily there's still a lot of things to hunt—"

Ingrid still didn't speak even as Dorothea allowed herself to ramble on. She stared hard at the food before her eyes roamed around, and then they fell on Dorothea.

"It… it isn't poisoned, is it?" she asked.

It took all of Dorothea's willpower to not snap in that moment.

"No, of course not," she quickly forced out. "I don't know why you would think that—"

"Please don't pretend." Ingrid tried once more to push herself out of bed, hissing with pain. Her other hand grasped at the air, as if she was trying to summon her lance to her side. Dorothea made sure to put that in the other room. "We're not—you're—I'm—"

"Injured," Dorothea finished as she reached down to push Ingrid back onto the bed. Ingrid caught her wrist and tried to push her away, but her grip was still weak. Far too weak really, for Dorothea's liking. She eased Ingrid to sit upright and against the headboard of the bed. "Don't think about anything else right now. All I want is for you to get better, okay?"

Ingrid didn't look convinced, unmoving as she stared at Dorothea with suspicion. It hurt; all Dorothea wanted was for Ingrid to recover quickly, but...

"Ingrid, if I had wanted to leave you dead, I wouldn't have done all of this," Dorothea finally said, gesturing to the bandages wrapped around Ingrid's body. "I'm already risking so much by doing this. So… please."

Finally, Ingrid's expression changed, and she looked tired, weary, almost exactly like how Dorothea felt inside. The slump of her shoulders told Dorothea she wasn't going to fight for any longer, though. She didn't look up even as Dorothea slid the tray of food over to her.

"How weak are you feeling? Do you need me to… help you?" Dorothea asked.

Ingrid quickly shook her head. "You've no need for that. I think I can manage," she said even if the wince on her face said otherwise. "Although, please, if you would…" she trailed off, her eyes looking toward the door before they went back to the wall next to the bed. Dorothea understood, and quickly left the room.

She walked down the hallway but before she came to the kitchen, she leaned against the wall inside, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Even so, it didn't stop the wild drumming of her heart, and the terrible knot of dread that caught in her chest.

* * *

"How have you been, Ingrid?"

Ingrid didn't seem keen on answering though her face was drawn tight into a grimace, breathing hard as the healing magic worked its way through her. Dorothea looked back down, focusing on her magic.

The glow of magic from Dorothea's hands lit up the room in a bright green. Her healing magic wasn't the best, and she could never quite believe in the Goddess anymore than she could (which was a passing acknowledgement), so it had taken her more than a day to properly mend the bones and skin underneath. If Linhardt or Manuela were here, they would have finished in much less time.

Dorothea drew her hand away when she felt herself exhausting, the sweat beading on her forehead. She grabbed the ointment she had made, a ground herbal mixture Manuela had taught her, and slathered it onto Ingrid. To help aid in healing and prevent infection, Manuela had told her, and Dorothea hoped it would. She had seen more than enough times what happened when infection took a hold of someone's wounds, and she wouldn't wish that upon Ingrid.

"Fine," Ingrid finally grunted once Dorothea finished applying her ointment. Dorothea looked up at her. "You… asked how I was earlier. I'm… fine."

"Oh." Dorothea passed over a spare (clean) shirt she had found for Ingrid to put on, who did so with a wince. "I'm glad to hear that. What happened to you, anyway? If I hadn't been around, you would have…" she didn't finish the sentence.

"I saw the bandits from atop my pegasus as I patrolled the borders. There had… there had been women and children among them, and they didn't look willing. So I swooped down."

"My! Such a gallant hero," Dorothea couldn't help but say right away, and when she saw the small blush come to Ingrid's face, it warmed her too as well, until she spoke again. "But you went to save them by only _yourself_?"

Ingrid opened her mouth, and closed it, seemingly having caught what Dorothea was saying. She looked away, exhaled softly, and finally answered. "There were… two others with me. Did you find them?"

Dorothea shook her head. "No... it was your pegasus that led me to you, you know?"

Ingrid seemed surprised. "Did she? I had thought the arrows had…"

"Her wing was broken and I did my best to heal her but you should take her to see someone else. Animals… are not my specialty."

"Noted," Ingrid said, shaking her head. Then came the inevitable silence. Dorothea disliked it. She fished for a common topic.

"Well! You don't have any more suitors coming after you, do you?" And Dorothea felt like grimacing afterward. Of all the things for her to talk about, she had settled on _this._

"No!" Ingrid's voice came out quickly and sharply. When Dorothea looked up at her, even Ingrid herself seemed surprised as how vehement she had become. She cleared her throat and spoke again. "Forgive my outburst. I just… since I came back, there… there hasn't. We just haven't had time for that."

There was _never_ time for anything, Dorothea wanted to say. Instead, she nodded, a small smile on her face. "That's surprising, you've grown to become so fetching since I've last seen you. With your hair like this," Dorothea was reaching out before she realized but she caught herself in time before her hand touched Ingrid, "you look more like a dashing knight, ready to save someone in need."

Ingrid sputtered for a moment, the familiar flush coming onto her cheeks. It almost made Dorothea's smile grow a little wider; when it came to complimenting Ingrid, she could never help herself.

"I, um, thank you," she mumbled. "You… um, you've… also… um," Ingrid glanced back and forth between Dorothea and her hands on her lap, "you've also become, um, beautiful. I mean, you already were back then, but you're, ah… more beautiful?" she finally managed, her voice trailing off near the end.

"Oh! Thank you, Ingrid. That means a lot, coming from you," Dorothea said, glad that Ingrid wasn't looking at her to see the small blush coming over Dorothea. What she just said hadn't been a total tease; she was used to being lavished with compliments from strangers, but Ingrid, with all her honesty, was different. Even now, Dorothea could feel a small flutter in her chest, traitorous as it was.

Ingrid didn't speak, so Dorothea tried to fill in the silence again. "If you don't mind me asking, how have _you_ been? Are you a knight now? How are things with your family—"

"Dorothea!" The sound that came out of Ingrid was a choked gasp. "I can't—I can't do this anymore. Why would you help me?"

"Why? Why wouldn't I have?" Dorothea repeated dumbly even though she knew exactly why Ingrid was asking. _Don't say it,_ she pleaded, _don't say it—_

"Because we're enemies!" Ingrid hissed, and Dorothea flinched as if she was slapped. "If you had left me, that would have been one less general for the Empire to deal with." A smile came to Ingrid's lips but it was neither joyous or mirthful. "Losing a soldier with a Crest would no doubt be a massive blow to the Kingdom. Do you know what power you had—"

"How can you say that?!" Dorothea felt as if something had ignited within her, as she stared hard at Ingrid. "We used to be classmates! Did you want me to see _you_ , and turn around to leave your body there for the crows?!"

The way Ingrid stubbornly set her jaw told her yes, she had expected Dorothea to do just that, and it absolutely infuriated her. How could—why would—

War had truly torn them apart.

"How dare you say that?! You were my friend, and—" she choked back the rest of her words, holding back instead the tears that she felt at the corners of her eyes.

Maybe, if Dorothea hadn't been too forward, if she had taken it slowly, or if Ingrid could _truly_ realize what giving her a ring meant—

But that was in the past, and neither of them could afford to live in that time any longer.

At least Ingrid had the grace to look contrite, mumbling something that sounded like an apology under her breath. Dorothea watched her, wondering if Ingrid could hear how fast her heart was beating in this moment. There _had_ been something between them, Dorothea was sure of it—not even someone so oblivious as Ingrid could _not_ think about what gifting a ring meant, for all her excuses of only wanting to show her gratitude.

If there was still a spark underneath there, then maybe… Dorothea could…

"Ingrid," she started, her voice low, "do you truly believe in what you're fighting for? The Kingdom is harboring the Archbishop even after she has spun countless lies, do you truly believe in her?"

Ingrid shook her head. "It doesn't matter what I think. Faerghus has always lent its aid to the Church, and as a citizen of the Kingdom, I must do my duty."

Duty. There it was, that word. Dorothea felt something beginning to boil inside of her. "Even if you don't believe in its cause?"

"I do it because it is my _duty_!"

"Duty!" Dorothea shook her head. She hated that word more than ever in this moment. "Will you marry someone you don't want to out of duty for your family?! Will you give up your dreams for your duty?! Will you die for your duty?!"

Dorothea stared at her. Ingrid stared back. Something flashed through Ingrid's eyes, a multitude of emotions that Dorothea couldn't pick out completely.

"Are you asking me to betray my homeland?" Ingrid's voice was soft, but it seemed to cut like a sword. Her hand where it laid atop the covers of the bed, grasped at the air again, like she was trying to reach for a lance that wasn't there. She didn't doubt Ingrid's strength, but Dorothea knew she could draw a dagger faster than Ingrid could react.

"I'm just asking you to think about yourself, Ingrid. We're at _war_ , there's nothing honorable about dying like all those stories! Dying for your country when no one will remember you! And when you die, you leave behind everyone! Your family! Is that truly what you want?!"

"Then my father and brothers would be proud to say I carried proud the name of Galatea! To say that I served the Kingdom with all I had! Even if I must die—"

" _I_ don't want you to die!" Dorothea finally cried out. "I don't want to see you on the battlefield, to see you on the opposite side! We've been at war for three years already and I've already seen too much! I'm tired of it!"

Dorothea buried her face into her hands, sobs wracking her now. She didn't mean to have an outburst like that, but hearing Ingrid speak so proudly of riding to her death—

She would _never_ understand it all. For honor? For duty? There was nothing honorable about being another body on the battlefield! Corpses were all the same; they were all dead and they couldn't do anything about it, and it was the living who had to pick up everything the dead left behind.

"Ingrid, won't… won't you please reconsider? You were with our class, Edelgard allowed you to return, and…" Dorothea never thought Ingrid would _stay._ If she had known… if she… but would she have even been able to persuade Ingrid to stay?

"Don't you understand the world Edie—Edelgard is trying to build a world without Crests, without the need for nobility! Don't you think that's an ideal worth fighting for?" Dorothea tried again, and felt something like hope bloom when she saw Ingrid beginning to falter. But just as quickly as she allowed herself to reconsider, Ingrid's face began to harden again.

"I do! But to cause all this bloodshed in her path—" Ingrid made a face. "I must condemn it."

"Because this is the only way to force the change we needed. Edelgard is fighting for the future of Fódlan, and that includes _yours_." Dorothea's voice softened. "Please, Ingrid, think about yourself as well."

Once more, Ingrid began to falter, the hesitation shining in her eyes. She looked up and to Dorothea, she felt so helpless, so trapped, and Dorothea wanted nothing more than to reach out, to take Ingrid away from it all. It seemed unfair, for Ingrid to sacrifice her own livelihood because of her birthright.

"If I were to leave, my family would suffer for my betrayal. What little standing we have would be stripped away. And to say nothing of what fate might befall them if they were deemed to be conspirators of my treason! My father's loyalty wouldn't be questioned, but my brothers…" Ingrid's face became pained. "To leave for myself while letting them suffer after they have sacrificed so much solely for me… it is a guilt that I cannot bear."

Ingrid closed her eyes, took one deep breath, and when she opened them, Dorothea felt nothing but despair at seeing the steely resolve in them.

"I'm sorry, I cannot disobey my duty," Ingrid spoke, her voice fierce, and Dorothea knew there could no longer be any convincing her. Firm as her voice was, though, Dorothea saw how she trembled, and knew Ingrid was repeating her own vow in her mind to remind herself not to stray.

Dorothea wanted to call her foolish, wanted to let her know how much she disagreed with her choice, but she held herself back. That… that time had passed, not when they were on opposing sides of a war fighting for different ideals already. She feared continuing on with the conversation would cause further strain on them. No use for that, when it seemed like this would be the last time they'd be able to have a civil conversation like this.

So Dorothea let her tears stop. There would another time for them, but she had finished them for this moment. "I… I understand. I only…"

Ingrid's expression softened for a moment, and she looked down at her hands. "I feel the same, Dorothea. I… I do not disagree with Edelgard, but to force this war upon the whole continent…" She sighed, and shook her head. "I do not wish to see you on the battlefield either. I don't want to see any of our old classmates, but…"

"I cannot abandon my duty," Ingrid murmured.

Ingrid, always so steadfast, so loyal, so devoted. Dorothea had liked that about her. She was like the heroes Dorothea once sang about, the ones she hoped whose virtues she could find in a potential spouse one day.

Funny that it seemed that they were in a woman who already swore her oaths to her country. And funny, too, that now Dorothea could see those same virtues carrying Ingrid straight to her demise.

_Duty._

_What an awful word._

Dorothea slowly exhaled, feeling so very exhausted. Ingrid did the same, breathing in deeply before slowly letting it out. Was there anything more for them to say now?

"Felix is with you, isn't he?" Ingrid asked.

The sudden question made Dorothea blink. She looked up at Ingrid, who tried hard to hide how hopeful she looked.

"Would you like me to tell him anything?" she asked gently instead. Giving up information like this would have been damning, but she felt like Ingrid had the right to know what happened to her friend.

A myriad of emotions went through Ingrid's face but what she eventually settled on was relief. "No… I… he was the only one that didn't come back with us to Faerghus and never sent any word. Lord Rod—his father hasn't given up on him. I'm glad to hear that he is alive," Ingrid said though her brow drew together again. There was no doubt as to what she was thinking, the same fears that the two of them had spoken of just moments ago.

_If Felix could abandon his duty, why couldn't you?_

"Dorothea, I…" Ingrid seemed to struggle with herself before she met Dorothea's gaze, and Dorothea nearly flinched away from the honesty that shone. "I'm sorry for doubting you even when you've been taking care of me. You did not… have to save my life, but you did, and I know my gratitude has been lacking. I have nothing to offer you right now but my thanks… but I will remember this."

"Ingrid…" Dorothea shook her head. A painful pang pricked at her as she saw Ingrid looking her. There weren't any point to holding onto her feelings any longer, not when either of them could be swayed. What did Ingrid's gratitude mean, if she wouldn't allow herself to be swayed to Dorothea's side?

Unbidden, her hand reached out, laying upon Ingrid's face, and she felt Ingrid tensing underneath, but she made no move to remove her hand. They stared at each other, green upon green, uncertainty upon uncertainty, and…

Perhaps, in another life, they could have been like the heroes and princesses Dorothea sang about. Perhaps, in another life, they would have fought in battle alongside each other instead of against each other. Perhaps, in another life, they would have…

But this wasn't one of Dorothea's operas; Ingrid wasn't a knight just as much as Dorothea could never be a princess. They were both only soldiers in a war, and that was that.

Dorothea let her hand fall, and Ingrid turned away.

* * *

Ingrid insisted on leaving as soon as she was able to sit in a saddle without falling out.

"It's been days since they've last heard from me. I must return before they assume the worst. They may think that the Empire has captured me and plan a counterattack," Ingrid said, her brow furrowed.

"I'm not comfortable with you leaving just yet, but…" Dorothea smiled sadly at her. "All to avoid more bloodshed."

"Don't worry, my estate is not far from here." Ingrid sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Dorothea could feel the frustration from her, and knew she felt the same. "I'm in your debt, Dorothea. For taking care of me and… if you were anyone else, I would have surely been taken prisoner."

Dorothea stared at her. The thought had never even crossed her mind, but… no—it was already done, and Dorothea felt ill at ease at forcing that upon Ingrid now.

"Just… just be a little more careful when you're being heroic, okay?" Dorothea couldn't help herself, adding one more tease. And, just as she expected, Ingrid blushed, and there was a little frown on her face. It was nice to see some things still remained the same. She laughed softly, and for a single moment, she almost forgot where they were.

"You be careful as well, Dorothea. The borders have gotten far more dangerous than I expected. You…" Ingrid stopped her words, but she was always so honest, and Dorothea could see the worry on her face. "I had always thought you were of the kindest people I had ever known. I'm glad to see that hasn't changed. No matter what may happen in the war... please keep that quality within you."

Dorothea stared at her in stunned silence.

Ingrid swung herself up onto her pegasus, hissing with pain as her eyes also squeezed shut. The sound brought Dorothea out of her stupor and she quickly stepped forward to catch Ingrid just in case. "I will be fine," Ingrid quickly reassured. Even with her eyes closed, she still reached down, patting the top of her pegasus. "Thank you for also taking care of her as well."

Her eyes opened, and as she looked down at Dorothea, even with her armor battered and clutching her side, she still… she still looked no less knightly than Dorothea had always thought she would be. Dashing, valiant, gallant, as Dorothea would describe, like a knight coming home after a journey.

Dorothea still reached out, letting the healing magic work through Ingrid again as an extra precaution. Ingrid didn't fight against it, only inhaled sharply as she felt the magic take ahold of her. Dorothea pulled her hand back when she was satisfied that Ingrid wouldn't at least bleed out on her flight back. 

"Farewell, Ingrid," Dorothea whispered, and if it weren't for Ingrid's slight nod, she wouldn't have known if the other woman had heard her at all. Then, Ingrid was galloping away, and soaring off into the sky back to the Kingdom.

She watched her fly away, and when Ingrid's figure was too far away for her to catch a glimpse of, she turned away and reached for a pocket inside her dress. Pulling out the ring hidden inside, she looked down at it, the blue gemstone glinting back up at her.

Dorothea fitted it onto her finger and marched back to the Empire.


End file.
